Our goal is not to profit financially but to profit in the intangibles. We wanted our kids to learn the value of working hard, where the food actually comes from and sustainability. Having chores like milking a goat or feeding chickens and pigs are very different in real life vs. a game ap on an iPhone or PokemonGO. Having to sit with a baby goat in your lap while you feed it a bottle can’t be don
e using snap chat. We have added benefits too of answering questions for them like can you milk a boy cow or how long is a chicken pregnant? We have researched our animals and choose them for a specific reason. Everything contributes or pays for it self. Research was important, we have limited space. If we have one bee hive it should be one that produces enough honey for the year, we picked a requeened hive with Italian bees. Nubian goats lineages were selected for high separation of fat in the milk for cheese making in one goat and another goat chosen for high amount of sweet milk produced. a potbelly pig is an easy choice for delicious bacon and ham. Even our dogs, Anatolian Shepherds, were selected for their ability to protect our livestock from coyotes or predators yet still be loving family dogs that will not hurt our chickens. Strategic Planning was a necessity based on space, feed, and cost benefit ratios. There can never be the perfect amount produced. We do have extra that then others then have the opportunity to purchase. We raise to a certain standard that far exceeds the grocery store norm. Our animals are given great lives and in return they contribute to our family’s health. We know everything that goes into our food and our food’s food. This is a life that we are consciously choosing and loving.
